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Car companies may need to start curbing model proliferation

Looking at the current automotive landscape, especially from German makers, you quickly get the impression that less definitely isn't more. BMW alone offers its 3 Series platform in practically every segment possible, including the regular sedan and 4 Series Gran Coupe, which would seem to be direct competitors. Porsche might be the winner, though, with 20 different variants of the 911 listed for sale on its US website. However, some of this model madness might be reaching an end as companies begin cutting back spending or shifting money to other priorities.
According to Yahoo Finance, the offerings from the German automakers are up 25 percent over the past three years to over 200 models in Europe. The peak is expected to come around 2018 at 230 separate vehicles, according to consulting company PwC.
Amazingly, BMW, which is among the poster children for this model explosion, might be changing its tune. "I'm sure there will be points in the future where we look at certain cars and say, 'Maybe we need to think differently now,'" said head of sales Ian Robertson in an interview, according to Yahoo Finance. The statement certainly sounds shocking coming from a company rumored to have 23 front-wheel-drive vehicles all using a single platform on the way.

BMW i Collection puts upscale treehugging in the palm of your hand

If BMW's new i sub-brand sounds more like it belongs to consumer electronics than it does to automobiles, that's probably no mistake. After all, electric vehicles bridge the gap between conventional automobile and electronic gadget - just ask our compatriots over at Engadget that report on them all the time. But to drive the point home even greener, BMW has, together with the new i3, launched a new collection of electronics accessories that make the Bavarian automaker as much a competitor with companies like Belkin or Griffin as it is with Audi or Mercedes-Benz.
The new BMW i Collection includes items like a solar charger for phones and MP3 players, a laptop bag made from felt-like recycled PET plastic and vegetable-tanned leather, and of course the requisite USB dongle. Other items include keyfobs, a shopping bag, notebook and ballpoint pen.
All the items, of course, are designed to extend the i3's upscale tree-hugging image to items you can hold and use while your EV is charging in the driveway. They go on sale starting next month with prices ranging from 15 euros ($20) for the pen or lanyard to 99 euros ($135) for the shopping bag. Details in the press release below and images of the whole collection in the gallery above.

Alpina D3 Bi-Turbo torquing its way toward Frankfurt

Few tuners benefit from the kind of factory support that Alpina does, giving the pseudo-aftermarket firm nearly as much official status as BMW's own M division. And this is its latest product.
Set to debut, as expected, at the Frankfurt Motor Show this week is the new Alpina D3 Bi-Turbo, which you can consider, for all intents and purposes, the diesel M3 that BMW never built. While the outgoing D3 (which was Alpina's best-selling model) used a four-cylinder engine, Autocar reports that the new model packs a 3.0-liter, twin-turbo inline-six diesel to drive a respectable 345 horsepower but a mammoth 516 pound-feet of torque to either the rear wheels or all four through the optional availability of xDrive. (European buyers will also be able to choose between sedan and wagon bodystyles.)
The engine is the same as you'd find in the XD3 and D5 (Alpina's diesel performance versions of the X3 and 5 Series, respectively), but in the lighter 3 Series form can propel the D3 Bi-Turbo up to 62 miles per hour in 4.6 seconds and on to an Autobahn-crunching top speed of 173 mph. And as per Alpina tradition, visual cues are minimal, with a subtly optimized aero kit and 19- or available 20-inch alloy wheels. Unfortunately, the 7 Series-based B7 is the only Alpina we get on this side of the Atlantic, but an oil-drenched performance enthusiast can dream.